The skills I believe I have developed throughout this module would include idea generation. Having never studied illustration, this process was very new to me and I think I managed to get somewhere with it in the end, and effectively think of more abundant approaches I could take. I do however need to take the 'thumb nail' approach to generating ideas more; it was easy to fall back into old habits and spend lots of time on detail when there is no need for this at the concept stage. I know that in order to think visually means doing quick sketches, and I aim to practice this as much as I can. I used thumb nailing effectively in the first brief, but then I perhaps lost focus in briefs 3 and 4.
I have explored a number of approaches to image making, including line work with pens, photo shop/ digital work, painting on canvases and shrinking the image down digitally to print the responses out in the correct format, I also worked with chalk pastel, acrylic paint, and used collage and charcoal. The media mentioned all had a role in developing my concepts; they each informed me on how methods of image making can have a large effect on the outcome of an illustration. I learned a lot on how effectively I approached the briefs based on the feedback I received from my peers in crits, as well as my own feelings about my work. I generally feel that I will benefit a lot more from exploring many more approaches to my work, so far I’m not happy with the amount I have done.
The strengths to my work could be the ideas, there were a few concepts in this module that I was pleased with, and I intend to always make sure I’m thinking of engaging things. The weakness of my work lies with time management; I’m not used to the ways we worked through these briefs - I’m still trying to get used to how the course works, and how to effectively complete all aspects of the tasks on time. I find myself rushing a lot and then I lose confidence in my work. My way of addressing this will be to continue listening/ responding to feedback, and find a better way to manage my workload in order complete the requirements to a higher standard that I know I am capable of.
There are a number of things I will do differently from now on. The use of my time - I will find a way to generate a lot of ideas, experiment more with approaches to image making, and refine my final pieces within the time allocated. I’ll also come out of my comfort zone and try to think of new methods to employ. As well as these, I want to learn more about photo shop and how to use it well – I have a very limited knowledge, I think my practice would benefit from digital work.
